


Heart of Gold

by EllariaSand



Category: Far Cry: New Dawn
Genre: Boss/Employee Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, I suppose??, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-11-05 09:27:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17916197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllariaSand/pseuds/EllariaSand
Summary: You were his captain of his security team, his second in command, his sounding board for when things got tough and he needed another opinion. Barnes had made a wise crack before about your relationship even when Rush was quick to put him in his place. Yet now his words came back to haunt you as you thought of a world without him.Wherever Thomas Rush goes his shadow follows him.[Pre Far Cry: New Dawn]





	Heart of Gold

**Author's Note:**

> It's basically a big one shot divided into two parts. Anyway, I fell in love with Thomas Rush before the game was even out. I'm still utterly in love with him. Depending on how this goes, I'll probably do a follow up taking place during the events of New Dawn. And from here on out we're ignoring some canon, baby!!! Hope you enjoy because it's been years since I last wrote something! Kudos is always appreciated! (The title is also from the song Heart of Gold by Neil Young. Reminds me a lot of Rush).

The coolness of the afternoon was a welcome relief after hours of riding a train with no end in sight. Your quarters inside the train had a perfect view of the passing lands on the right side of the tracks, and from time to time the window offered you a chance to envision beyond the small space you had come to call your room for the past months. Walking outside offered more than what an open window could. The train would stop here and there for months in between so you and Rush could help the next settlement start up. However, despite enjoying not having to be on the train you always did find yourself crawling back into your quarters. Surprisingly, Rush would have the same idea and often slept in his own aboard the train while the rest of the team made their own living arrangements among the settlers. 

In the small room you called home you took your mind off things with music or reading--whichever suited you at the moment. At times, Rush's young daughter Mila would spend most of her time in your room. The child enjoyed your particular taste in music and (unlike Barnes or Daughtry) never once asked _why_ you enjoyed listening to that particular genre. You assumed she never did because she looked up to you and liked what you liked. It was endearing in a way, yet slightly frustrating when you wanted her to have a mind of her own. Whenever she spent time with you, Rush wasn't far behind. When he wasn't busy with the settlers he would stand at your doorway, content in watching his daughter talk to you about anything and _everything_. You didn't mind when he did, and often you found yourself looking up from time to time to catch him looking right at you. 

You kept in cadence with his steps as you murmur quietly to yourself the _1, 2_ step. The silence that had settled among you two didn't bother you, and in fact there was many a time where you and him would sit in comfortable silence in the same room. Neither person had to fill the air with idle chitchat, you and he could relax in each other's company while busying yourselves with separate tasks. It was nice to not have to force yourself to break the silence. You became conscious that your murmur of the cadence had suddenly become louder, and out of curiosity you chanced a glance at him from the corner of your eye. If he heard you, he gave no indication. 

Thomas Rush merely pressed on while occasionally looking up at the sky to gauge how much time had passed since you two had left the confines of the train and your people. His hand reaches up to scratch the ink that's splayed against his throat as he goes over the details in his head when it came to the next task. A lot was riding on him to get things up and running before moving onto the next area that needed him, and when everything would seem to crash upon him all at once he looked towards the sky to get some clarity about what to do next. His belief in a higher power was almost nonexistent since it was that same higher power that didn't interfere when the bombs fell and most of humanity had been wiped from the face of the earth. Perhaps it was that same higher power that gave him his new sense of purpose when seventeen years ago he was looking for something more than just the military life. 

Once you grew bored with keeping count your eyes looked up to him, and almost as if in response he looks over at you with a brow raised. You merely offer him a small smile as you keep walking forward with your head held high. Happy to be out after having been cooped up in the train for many days on end. It was you who suggested that you two should have a holiday--like something out of an old movie. Rush hadn't been opposed to it, but Barnes as usual took that moment to add in his two cents when no one asked him. 

That had been an hour ago. “How long have we been walking?” 

“Give or take an hour, maybe two. Don't tell me you’re quittin’ on me already.” 

You stretch out one of your arms until you felt the satisfying pop of a joint. “When I suggested we take a holiday I didn’t mean to keep walking until our feet bled.” 

Rush threw a glance at you as he led the way. “Always the dramatic one.” 

“That’s Barnes, not me.” 

He laughs then, and the sound of it is something you always enjoyed hearing. “You always got a comeback, don’t you?” 

“I’ve got a quip or two I keep at the ready just for you.” 

You two slowed down upon nearing the remnants of what used to be a shopping mall. Rush took point with you following closely behind with a hand on the butt of your gun. As you neared the ruins of the entrance he peered through the broken glass. He raised an eyebrow as you looked around, doubtful that you two would find anything here but you kept it to yourself. If there was anything Rush didn't particularly enjoy it was pessimism. Barnes had a habit of being doubtful from time to time which you noticed always seemed to get under Rush's skin. He had no problem bringing it up so he and Barnes could discuss his worries, but even then you knew that when the corner of his mouth would twitch it was almost always because Barnes was cynical. It wasn't like he could help it, for there were times when some of the settlements that Rush and his team would help build always seemed to fall apart in the end. When that happened that forced Rush to improve and be better the next time around. For some of the other people in his camp, it would present that lingering doubt that perhaps this new world would never mirror that of what the old world used to be. 

Rush scratches at his chin as his eyes take on that familiar glint of determination. “Maybe I can scavenge around and find something for Mila. Nice stuffed animal or a book. Something she can make use of.” He suggests quietly seeming as though he was saying it to himself rather than you. His daughter was always on his mind, even now. 

Your tongue glides across your bottom lip in thought before you reply with, “You mean something to bribe her with.” Rush passes you a glance which you meet with a pointed look of your own. “She’ll understand. The kid is anything but dumb.” 

“Yeah, well, you know she’s got a habit of making her faces when I tell her to do something she doesn’t want to do.” He pushes open the front door carefully as his eyes surveyed the area within. 

Rush was always quick to do a sweep of a place no matter how big it was before he entered. It was a habit of his, something that came in handy whenever you two had to scavenge for useful items that hopefully had been laid forgotten. It was funny really that he took it upon himself to do a sweep before _you_ entered when it should’ve been the other way around. Your title of Captain of Security wasn’t one you took lightly. You reminded Rush of this time and time again that it should be _you_ taking point and doing the sweeps, but he still kept on despite your protests. 

Nevertheless, you pressed yourself up against the opposite side of the door, leaning against it carefully as you watch him. You nearly lost yourself as you took in the little quirks Rush made when he was concentrating. His brows would furrow when he couldn’t figure something out; the corner of his mouth would twitch when there was something in particular he didn’t like, and his eyes...his eyes would take on a certain look whenever he seemed either captivated or determined. 

Quite often you found yourself picking up on Rush’s little quirks without him knowing, and because of your observant nature it had served you well in figuring out what sort of mood he was in. He was hardly bothered by anything though, so most of the time knowing these little habits of his weren’t necessary. 

“We’re clear,” he finally says while holding the door open for you. “Let’s hope there’s something useful left over.” 

You fix him with a pointed look as you passed, taking in the quiet surroundings of what used to be a bustling shopping center before saying, “I’ll say it again; this isn’t exactly what I’d call a holiday.” 

“What’d you have in mind, Cap?” He asks while adjusting the strap that held his rifle in place. “Hitting the shops? Eating outdoor at some café? Or maybe me finding out you’re some princess and it plays out like a fairytale?” The small smile he always seemed to have for you was in place as he gauges your reaction. 

Instead, you snort at his reference. “Well, not like we could do either of those anyway.” Before he could say something else you add, “When are you gonna tell Mila?” 

The smile on his face drops as he looks from you to the ground. At one point in time, the floor had been nothing but tile as evident with the broken pieces that littered the ground you stepped on. When the bombs dropped however, mother nature reclaimed the man made structures after years of no human life above ground. Even now, the large mall was eerily quiet and devoid of anything that made it what it once was. 

When Rush looks up again his eyes find yours before he motions with his head to take point. “I already did. Right before we left.” 

You knew Mila almost as well as her father did. Though she was warm and friendly you knew there were times when she fought her father on certain things. It was just them two with Rush doing the best he could with the circumstances given, but even then, it must’ve been hard to be a child growing up in a world like this without both parents. Rush made it work the best he could as a single father, and you understood better than anyone the strain it had on him when he was trying to juggle fatherhood and leading people who doubted things could go back to the way they were. That’s why he often turned to you in those times when he couldn’t be both, and you gladly lifted that weight off his shoulders knowing that the people in your community looked up to you just as much as they did him. 

“Did she fight you on it?” You question with a knowing smile.

Rush gives you a dry look. “’Course she did. I told her why she couldn’t come along. We don’t know what kind of territory we’ll be going into. With our train, it’d be an eyesore. Probably attract all kinds of unwanted attention.” 

You scoff as you kick away a discarded soda can. “Right because the ‘In Rush we Trust’ posters weren’t attracting the wrong kind of attention already.” 

“Don’t diss the slogan, Cap.” 

Rush could always get a smile out of you here and there. It almost came naturally when he did, and he didn’t even have to try very hard. Wherever he went you were right there beside him, and the only time when you weren’t was when he had you out in a scouting party. Everyone was used to seeing him with you by his side going over details of the current job, and even when you weren’t there with him, he waited until you returned to get your opinion on his next move. 

He did nothing without your input. 

“I gotta admit,” he says suddenly while pushing aside another broken door to what used to be a children’s store and held it in place while you walked through. “When it’s just us two together, we get shit done.” As you pass him, he gave you a slight bow as you rolled your eyes, knowing he was teasing you. 

“We haven’t even found stuff to take back to the rest of the convoy.” 

“I got a good feeling, Cap. In no time we’ll be walking outta here with our arms full.” Rush let out a low whistle as his hand cut through the air in a straight line. “And from there it’ll be smooth sailing.” 

If there was something Rush didn’t lack, it was confidence. It was a quality that attracted you to him, and it was something that made you join his crew without hesitation. When you first met it had been under high stress circumstances. The two of you had gotten ambushed separately by the same group of raiders, and by some sort of miracle those same idiots brought you two together. Despite being held captive you were calm under pressure and didn’t flinch so much as an inch when one of the raiders threatened your life. Rush saw how you handled yourself then, and so it came as no surprise when he offered you a place in his group. It had taken years but you earned your place as his captain of security when the previous one had left. 

Since then you two had formed a close bond that many had mistaken for something beyond professional. Rush was ever quick to dispel the rumors, but you had never denied them. There were times when you yearned for something more though you knew it could never be. Once or twice you fooled yourself into thinking that when he gazed at you from time to time it was because he too felt something deeper than what you both had. 

Hell, everybody even knew your soft spot for Mila who could often be found in your company more so than her father’s. Though the main reason could be because you were the only one she let comb her hair. Every morning became routine to you waking up to her coming into your room and talking about this or that as you forced yourself to blink the sleep away. Rush had chastised her once or twice about going into your room without knocking, but you were always quick to tell him that it never bothered you. 

The thought of not seeing her for some time would mean waking up to a quiet morning. Your smile suddenly faltered as you scoured through the picked over shelves. It was strange in a way to even think about it, but Mila did offer a sense of normalcy when the world as you knew it was very much gone. Though you didn’t know why she gravitated to you the most out of her father’s company, you were grateful for it. 

You look up from staring a little too hard at a shelf towards Rush, and you’re not shocked to find that he's looking right at you. The familiar glint in his eyes is something you’ve seen many a time, and for a moment you keep his gaze before it’s him that turns away. His jaw twitches and it’s because you caught him in the act. Sheepishly, he turns away as he scratches an itch on his throat, possibly hoping you wouldn’t bring it up. 

“Find anything?” He asks with his back to you as he goes through another stack of shelves. 

“This place has been picked over to hell and back. Seventeen years have gone by, remember?” You remind him as you tossed aside an empty box. 

“Yeah, I just uh...there’s good stuff here Cap. We just gotta find it.” Rush wastes no time searching the rest of the store as you stay rooted in your spot. 

The stare you had gotten from him so many times before didn't matter as much as this one. He was if anything but subtle whenever he looked at you--almost as if he wanted to get caught. Yet when you did catch him in the act this time he turned away but not before holding onto your gaze for just a little while longer. It was strange really, you didn't want to look too much into it simply because you didn't want to make something out of nothing. But you could dream, right? You could imagine and hope that he really did hold something more than just what was on the surface. Maybe if you digged a little bit deeper you could find out exactly what he was feeling. 

It couldn't be though, because it wasn't meant to be.


End file.
